"We all die a little bit, Bones. With each shot; we all die a little bit." His voice breaks, her hand squeezes his forearm as the tear falls down her face.

She looks at him, really, stares into his eyes and she sees it. She didnt have to see him to know this was true through. After all. He did not know, Angela did not know, Hodgins, Zach, Dr. Goodman, no one knew.

-2 years ago-

The guns fire around her, she was only supposed to be collecting victim remains. She was not joining the army. She had a gun to protect herself. She was not joining the army.

She was supposed to collect remains, collect, not add to. And here she was. Bodies on her table - she told them she did not work with skin. Only bones. They told her they needed the man power. She was not joining the army.

And here she was. Her face trying not to give away that she knew this man. Knew what he was what he had done. What he was going to do to her. And that the bullets she pulled from his torso, they came from her gun. But she was not joining the army.

She collected the semen on his underwear, she tried not to think of the fact that she knew that smell from the woman that she had pried him off of. Tried not to think of the woman's face as she saw her attacker die, terror and relief fall into one, she thinks she probably mirrored the expression. She was not joining the army.

She shoots a man in cold blood. Well later she finds this out. Finds out that they had the wrong name. She kills a son in front of his mother. His name is not entirely clean, he has a few assault charges, a robbery with a deadly weapon, attempted murder. She recognizes these charges, they should be on her record. The are not. She is clean. She is Dr. She is collecting remains. She has a gun to protect herself. She is not joining the army.

She shoots a woman who was trafficking young girls. Shoots a boy no older than 19 who beat an old man. Shoots an old man who was not taken into justice for murder. She was not joining the army - but they had contracted her out. As more than mere Dr. Brennan. And no one knew.

-back to present-

"We all die a little bit." She agrees, he places a hand on top of hers. They do not speak. But they acknowledge the darkness in each others eyes.

She may not have joined the army, but she did understand. He did not say he recognised her shot when they were working a case together. Did not want to believe it.

So he nods, wipes the tear from her face, and leans down to pat her ankle. She chuckles, but it comes out as a sob, "just for protection, right?" He asks, his dimples form in his cheeks and she reaches to tap his ankle also, as they look to the graves, "Protection for these people. Protection for myself. I'm not sure. But protection from death. No. Death is inevitable. After all. We all die a little bit with each shot, Booth." They stand and salute the grave side.

Walking to the car for their next case. Try to pay their dues for those shots fired.


AN: This came from watching the show and I'm not really sure this was born. I'm still debating if I will add to this universe at all - if I do it'll only be another chapter or 2. But I do like how I ended it. Thank you for reading - KH